Celebrating the success of apprenticeships

As National Apprenticeship Week 2018 comes to a close Sam Chadwick, who joined INS in September, talks about his experiences as part of the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship Scheme at nearby Manchester Metropolitan University.

This week, employers and apprentices have been celebrating the success of apprenticeships, and encouraging more people to choose apprenticeships as a pathway to a great career.

The theme for the #NAW2018 is ‘Apprenticeships Work’, and the aim is to show how apprenticeships work:

for individuals

for employers

for the community

for the wider economy

Since joining INS last year I’ve been working in the INS Commercial Team and in less than six months I’ve learnt a huge amount while contributing to the success of the organisation.

INS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and an important part of their people strategy is to support apprenticeships in its Site Licence Companies (SLCs), subsidiaries and in its supply chain businesses.

The work INS does to help solve UK and global nuclear challenges is fascinating and I’m really happy to be developing my career here while studying for a degree at the same time.

It has been demanding and challenging, but the work has been varied and the rewards have been huge.
I’ve really enjoyed getting out and about. I’ve visited Springfields and Capenhurst sites where I learnt learn more about the “front end” of the nuclear fuel cycle, and later this month I’ll be taking a tour of one of our specialist nuclear ships up at the INS Barrow Marine Terminal.

Back in the office I’ve been working alongside Sophie, another apprentice on my course, to look at ways we can streamline INS business processes by improving how we share information internally.

As part of the four year course I spend roughly 24 days each year attending lectures at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Business School, with each taught unit being complemented by work based projects.

It’s a great way to embed myself in and contribute to the success of a business, while gaining a formal qualification and (importantly!) earning money while I learn.

National Apprenticeship Week is an opportunity to showcase the mutual benefits of apprenticeships and I’d definitely recommend it as a pathway to a great career.